Solemn
by Cosmic Hostility
Summary: Why couldn't he have just been left alone? He hadn't done anything wrong. How did they even track him down anyway? Now, he's the object of countless experiments, and he just wants to get away from it all.
1. Prologue

Okay, so this is a new story idea I came up with, and I really would like to have your feedback on the prologue. Don't worry, all the chapters after this won't be this short.

* * *

Jason walked solemnly down the dark New York City alleyway, his head down and his feet dragging heavily on the pavement. Behind him he heard the sounds of the busy streets, the cars with their relentless horns and the people that conversed to themselves quietly as the walked, their heads together, towards wherever home was. Below all of that was the sound of the ocean, it's waves lapping shyly upon the shore, and the quiet buzz of an airplane engine that slowly made it's way across the city toward the airport.

Jason sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, his eyes still trained on the ground in front of him. Something fell out of the dumpster twenty feet away from him, and he barely reacted, thinking that it was just some mouse that was being careless, because god knew that there were too many of the vermin in this city.

Without warning, hands came out of the darkness and grabbed him roughly, pushing him up against the brick wall of the building with great force. He looked up into the face of his attacker, his eyes alight with utter terror, and his attacker laughed.

Jason determined that it was a man, and his face was mangled and scarred, probably by one too many fights. The smile that lit his face was disgusting and fiendish, giving his face a ghastly, demonic-like look. His structure was large and muscular, and he filled the whole of Jason's vision with his wide shoulders and his massive chest.

"Wh-what do you w-want?" Jason asked, his voice betraying him to fear.

"Don't worry," the man said in a rough hewn tone, still chuckling a bit. "If you cooperate, you won't be injured…too bad."

Jason's eyes widened and he pressed himself against the wall further, bracing himself for the pain that was sure to come. The man just laughed harder.

"Hey," he called behind his gargantuan shoulder. "Hey Skiff, this one's got a sense of humor!"

A shadow appeared behind the man, tall and lanky, and Jason heard a high pitched whining sound. "Hurry up, Brutal. Let's just take him back to headquarters and go to bed. I'm tired!" the man called Skiff whined.

Brutal sighed in defeat. "Fine, just when I was having fun too," he complained in that low, husky voice of his.

Roughly, he picked Jason up by his waist and threw the boy over his shoulder like a sac of flour. Jason made a strangled "Umpf!" as he landed hard on Brutal's shoulder.

Brutal just laughed harder. "You're lighter than a feather _and_ funny! This one just keeps getting better, Skiff!"

Skiff didn't show any change in emotion and said, "Let's just get back to headquarters."

Brutal put on a face, and nodded before lumbering down the street, with Jason over his shoulder.


	2. Assassins

A/N: Okay, so I just want to clarify something before you start this next chapter. This story is based on the **movie** series rather than the comic one, so please keep that in mind as you read, and make the trasition between the two gently, m'kay?

Thanks,  
Cosmo

* * *

They walked for what seemed like forever down the maze of New York City alleyways, taking so many turns that soon Jason didn't know where they were, even though he had lived on these streets for the majority of his short life. Brutal, though his size may lead you to think differently, was careful with Jason, minding the extra weight and making sure that he didn't bang the boy's head on anything particularly harmful. Skiff led the way, darting quickly between dumpsters and other impossible places with inhuman speed, his lithe, lanky form moving through the shadows as if he had been made for them.

During their excursion, Jason was able to finally take in the full appearance of his captors, although not as well as he'd like to because of the limited light from the occasional street lamp. Brutal was a massive man, as he had noticed before, with scars above his right eye and down his left cheek. His hair was a dirty blonde, his eyes blue, and he wore baggy, ripped blue jeans with a t-shirt of a band Jason had never heard of. Skiff was different, however. He was tall, thin, with dark hair and pale features. His skin was flawless, and he had narrow eyes and angular features. He wore more elegant clothes, a white button up shirt tucked neatly into his black pants. His shoes were leather, or something like that, and Jason wondered why he would wear something as good as them to the alleys.

Skiff suddenly stopped, and Brutal followed suit behind him. Jason peeked out from behind Brutal's massive shoulder to see what the hold up was, when he saw two people, spanning the alleyway and blocking the way. Brutal un-shouldered Jason and set him on the ground next to him, giving him a glare that clearly stated, "Don't try to run or I will kill you," or something close, at least.

"What do you want?" Skiff stated, his voice as cold as ice. Jason shivered.

"You already know," one of the figures said, his own voice just as frosty.

Brutal moved in front of Jason, almost protectively. "You can't have him," he snarled, his face twisted into an expression of pure fury.

One of the figures let out a chuckle, saying, "You really think that you can keep him from us?" Its voice was high and melodic, and Jason had the impression that it was a girl.

"And what if we do?" Skiff hissed, and Jason shivered again.

"Then you're sorely mistaken!" The last word was a screech as the figure leapt forward toward Skiff. Its partner charged at Brutal, silently and powerfully, and Jason thought this was an unwise action, because of Brutal's immense size.

When the two met, there was an explosion of power, and Jason was surprised to see that the girl was holding her own against Brutal. Brutal's face was contorted with concentration as he used every ounce of his strength, every tactic he had ever learned to subdue his attacker. He twisted his hands to try and get leverage, to push her down toward the ground. He tried swiping her feet out from under her, with little avail, as their power struggle continued with little change in the outcome.

Skiff, on the other side of Jason, was dancing around his foe in a hypnotic way, dodging every and all attacks aimed at him. The man would dart forward with a punch, and Skiff would float away and counter with a kick of his own, which almost always landed. Soon, the man was just a heap on the ground, his cloak bloody and torn, and his mind blank.

Skiff moved toward the pair who were in a stalemate, taking a wicked dagger from his pocket as he did so. Calmly, he swiped it up to the woman's neck, and she froze with a gasp of surprise. Brutal dropped her hands, and Skiff glared at her.

"Who sent you?" he asked coldly.

The girl swallowed, and Jason saw that a drop of sweat was rolling down her forehead to linger on her nose.

"N-no one," she whispered in utter terror. Skiff began to press the sharp blade into her neck, drawing a thin line of blood. The girl sucked in breath.

"Okay, okay!" he heard her gasp. "Oz-Corp sent us!"

* * *

YAY CLIFFIE! Okay review please!


End file.
